# Desktop humidor setup 101



## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Having received a new desktop humi from brother @Yukoner in a sneak attack Christmas package I saw an opportunity to do a little write-up on one way to season it.







Keep in mind that there's more than one way to skin a cat but, through my own experience and the accumulated knowledge of some very experienced members here on PUFF this is how I chose to do so. 
First I accessed the initial quality of the seal by using a couple tricks I picked up here.







I used a $5 bill (just what I had in my pocket) and, a flashlight.







Set the flashlight in the Humi, close the lid and, turn out the lights. Try to see any light at the seal. If light can escape so can humidity. Check from different angles because it might not be easily seen. 
Next test is to close the bill (denomination of your choice) in the seal.







There should be a good amount of resistance while pulling it side to side and, straight out. I did this on all sides but, I'm just ticky like that. 
This humi did really well in my opinion. I still wanted to make sure that it would hold rh where I wanted so I opted to use some weather stripping to help it out.














You can see that the lip on this humidor is on the lid rather than on the box itself. I spaced the weather stripping just far enough down in there so that the lip just rests on top of it but, does not keep the lid from closing completely. Revisited the flashlight test again and, all was well.








To add humidity to the Humi I'm going to use a couple glass dishes and, a sponge with some distilled water.







I cut the sponge into smaller pieces so that I'd have more surface area for the DW to evaporate and, be absorbed by the interior of the Humi. Might be overkill but, I thought it might help. Before I did anything else I washed the dishes and, sponges with the distilled water to remove any contaminants. Then I slowly poured the DW over the sponges letting them absorb it and until there was just a little sitting in the bottom of the dish. I gave the included divider a light wipe down with DW also. You don't want to saturate it.







It was nearly dry again by the time I sat it down to take the pic.














Set the dishes with the sponges in the Humi with a hygrometer and, close it up. This particular hygro only shows me the rh but that's all I need it for at this time.







I'm going to leave this guy closed for a week before I even think about opening it up. Patients is key here. If you plan on smoking cigars on a regular basis or, attempting to rest cigars for any amount of significant time what's a couple weeks in prep. 
Seasoning a humidor this way cost me about $7 or, less total. I already had the weather stripping but, if you have to buy some it's around the $3-$5 mark at any hardware store. The distilled water is about $1 and, a two pack of sponges was a $1 as well. That leaves me with a few extra bucks to spend on sometHing to fill it with when it's ready. I'll revisit this thread with updates on how well this method is working.

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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

check '1 good job....


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## bozoo (Sep 26, 2016)

So simple and so good job here. 
From my experience - do not remove the water dishes as soon as the humidity reaches 70. There is a (maybe thin, but still) layer of wood that needs to be humidified deep into. What I do is I keep the water for a few more days after it reaches 70 and I don't mind it going well over 80. Then I remove water dishes and let it dry down slowly to the desired humidity. Then even $50 Tuscany holds the seal for me.


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## Tabloid Snapper (May 31, 2016)

Kidvegas said:


> check '1 good job....
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ditto.:wink2:


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

And this is the reason why I love the Puff community. This type of quality advice will really help the n00bs coming to seek advice on their first humidor, etc. Great write up !


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Started seasoning this guy six days ago. I checked it yesterday and it showed me having 82% rh. Today I checked it once again.







This particular hygrometer had consistently shown me 65% in my coolidor using 65% HF beads so I'm confident that it's within 1-2% correct. I'm happy with the way the humi is coming along but, I'll let it sit undisturbed for another couple days to be sure. I'll then charge the new tube of beads I have and, toss it in there for another week or so then check again.







Again patients is key here. No need to rush.


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

82% RH within six days is pretty impressive. Of course that all depends on what your environment is like, your ambient RH in your home, blah blah blah. But still, that's pretty impressive, glad to see it coming along nicely.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Yukoner said:


> 82% RH within six days is pretty impressive. Of course that all depends on what your environment is like, your ambient RH in your home, blah blah blah. But still, that's pretty impressive, glad to see it coming along nicely.


Not nearly as cold as the tundra lol. Generally rh inside my house is 45%-75%. It was 67% at the start of the seasoning process. That's a pretty big swing but, outside we can go from 30% to 95%+ in 24 hours. What I find challenging in Florida's Panhandle is keeping extra humidity out as much as keeping it in. It's gotten to where it's not such a chore anymore. I won't convert completely away from storing some of my stash in wood because to me that's part of what I find intriguingl about the lifestyle (not just a hobby anymore), having a functional trustworthy humi to keep some ready to go cigars. When I introduce the 65% beads to it in shooting for a consistent 62% for a tobacco from the ISOM


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

@poppajon75. Dont know if you've added the bead tube yet. But I'm also using the RH Shield variety from a friend a large tube. They came in a package marked 65% but after using for a couple of weeks now, they seem to hold 70% spot on not 65. Ive gone as far as placing them alone with my hygrometer in tupperware and again spot on 70%. The website shows to different colors (red 65) (black 70). I see you also have the black. Thats the reason my friend gave me his bead tube because he said it always holds 70% no matter how much water.

Just thought I'd let ya know ahead of time so if that happens it wont be too shocking. Or perhaps my buddy just got a mislabeled tube.

Nice job so far on the humi. And i fully agree with @Yukoner PUFF is where i lurked for many months as i took the plunge into the cigar world this and many other posts from present and past members, where vital to my indoctrination to the leaf. Great job so far @poppajon75..

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Thanks for the heads up @Kidvegas. I haven't introduced the beads yet. I was going to put them in after I remove the dishes with the sponges and, give it another week with just the beads to see where it settles. If I find that I'm holding 70% like you did an option I have is to remove the weather stripping and, see where it settles then. I'm shooting for sub 65%. It's my first experience with the RH Shield beads so I wasn't aware of the beads holding a higher rh than advertised so, I really do appreciate you sharing your experience with them brother. We'll see soon enough what they'll hold in this humi. Sharing is caring


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

@poppajon75 that sounds like a perfect plan. I love the weather stripping also, might just have to bust out my retired humi and try that option. Ive heard of it but never actually seen a picture. THANKS..

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Just checked the humi again and, I'm liking what seeing.







It's gone up two points in two days. Ambient rh is 72% right now and, the sponges are still plenty moist. I'll check back in a couple more days to see if it settles at a consistent rh before introducing the beads. Hopefully I didn't fall victim to a mislabeled tube as @Kidvegas mentioned happens with the RH Shield brand and, I've actually got the 65%. If by chance I did end up with the 70% beads I'll do some testing without the weather stripping still using the dishes with the sponges and note where it settles and, note the difference. So far, so good. No rush.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

So, eleven days of seasoning the interior of my new 50 ct humi. For the last two days it held at 90% on this particular hygro which I know to be + or - 1% correct.








Using the tried and true distilled water and, my trusty 6oz spray bottle I wet approx half if the tube of beads.







I put the tube in a ziploc for a couple hours to allow the moisture to equalize throughout the tube.







It's important not to saturate the entire tube because it's a two way system. It must be allowed to also absorb humidity as well as add it to the environment. 
Now just lay the tube in the humi and, you guessed it..... wait some more.







I'll check it every couple days from here to see where it settles at. Fingers crossed. 
Did I mention patients is crucial to the proper storage of cigars. If you're first plan is to buy a bunch of cigars then think about where to keep them.... you're already doing it wrong. If you're not able to dedicate the time it takes to properly season a nice piece of wood furniture I would recommend a tupperdor or, a coolidor. For those that like the look and, the tradition of a wooden humidor stay tuned.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Checked in on the humi for the first time since removing the sponges and, adding the 65% beads.







It's falling slowly which if I'm not mistaken means that it's been thoroughly seasoned. The beads are doing their part absorbing the extra humidity and, all appears well at the moment. Let's give it another couple days. Patients.


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## WABOOM (Oct 15, 2015)

Great job!


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

WABOOM said:


> Great job!


Thanks bro. I can't wait to see where it actually settles.


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

poppajon75 said:


> Thanks bro. I can't wait to see where it actually settles.


Me also bro. I'm hoping those beads turn out to be the correct RH. Otherwise this is awesome to watch the progress step by step..

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Kidvegas said:


> Me also bro. I'm hoping those beads turn out to be the correct RH. Otherwise this is awesome to watch the progress step by step..
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks bro. I know it's been explained time and time again but, it's such a frequently asked question still. I'm by no means an authority on the subject but, I figured I'd put the collective knowledge of one way to do this in one thread since I found myself starting with a brand new humidor. I hope it'll help people on the forum answer some questions and, even people just using a search engine online find some answers. Before I joined PUFF it would always pop up in my searches for info regarding cigar related matters. 
I hope the beads turn out correct also. Worst case scenario is that I end up using them in my 150 ct humi that I currently have 2 jars of Humicare gel beads in. They're supposed to keep rh between 65%-70% wHich translates to an actual rh in there between 63%-67% depending on the ambient rh. I plan on getting rid of the Humicare jars I fair of beads anyways so I can donate them to a buddy I work with who is dabbling in cigars now. My intentions are to completely enable tHis guy    
My coolidor is a set it/forget it with the 65% HF beads but, I enjoy the maintaining of a Humidor. I look at it like gardening.... you get out of it what you put in.


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

@poppajon75. This subject never gets old. So many new people getting into cigars everyday, and these detailed threads about proper humidity and sure ways of seasoning a humi are the main question people google everyday.

Great that you have the time and patience to tackle this. I'm hoping someone is looking, and getting the answers they are after.

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## Tug197 (Dec 16, 2016)

I sure am. I have one I am fighting and greatly appreciate this thread. 

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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Great thread..now if we could get a thread that told about how to "rescue" a box that they've already ruined. Then we'd be onto something.

1) what should I do since I've wiped down my box with a soaked sponge and now the seams all split?

2) I only found 3 quarter inch gaps and it won't hold humidity?

3) my box won't keep rh. The bottoms a whole 1/32 off an inch thick.

4) why won't the wood season. I've had 65% humi jars in it for 3 days and it won't get above 60?

5) after 3 days my untested hygro was reading 70. So I took out the dw and filled it with sticks. Now everything is dryer than a popcorn fart. What happened?

Hopefully they'll read this thread and realize the biggest lesson to learn here is patience.

It's human nature to look for an easier way. So when people read this I hope they don't do the usual "that seems like alot of work" and skip to a you tube video where a guy's soaking a rag and drenching his 50$ imported box in dw. They show you it getting up the rh quick. They didn't show you that 2 months later he uses it to hold his accessories.
@poppajon75.. Thanks..Good lookin out.

Rant concluded


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

I may be waiting for a while for this thing to settle out before putting any sticks in.







It's actually up 1% from yesterdays rh. No worries. Ambient rh is near 80% currently. 
For those just tuning and, those who've been following this is day 14 seasoning a 50 count humidor. No shortcuts here. Shortcuts lead to sort lived success.


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## ras_oscar (Aug 30, 2015)

Enjoyable read. Brought me back to the days when I unwrapped my wood humidor. Never added weatherstriping. One tip I can add is: if after operating successfully for a while, the humidity starts falling for no obvious reason, try wiping the sealing lips of the humidor with a lint free cloth dipped in distilled water. It will swell the wood slightly and improve the seal.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

ras_oscar said:


> Enjoyable read. Brought me back to the days when I unwrapped my wood humidor. Never added weatherstriping. One tip I can add is: if after operating successfully for a while, the humidity starts falling for no obvious reason, try wiping the sealing lips of the humidor with a lint free cloth dipped in distilled water. It will swell the wood slightly and improve the seal.


Glad you're enjoying it. 
The weather stripping seems to be working very well. It's taking a good bit of time for the rh to fall and stabilize..... which makes me happy. 
I may try your method on the 150 ct when I re-season it.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

It's been six days since introducing the RH Shield tube which is labeled as being 65% and, the humi still has not settled under 70%.







I activated the beads as per their instructions so, I may have to accept that I may have a mislabeled tube the same as @Kidvegas found with this same brand. I have ordered a 4-60g Boveda packs in 65% which are scheduled to arrive by Friday so, that gives me another five days to let the tube rest in there. 
They're is no reason to get bent out of shape over this because I'm dealing with an uncontrolled variable..... a wooden humidor. Even with a proven two way system like Boveda I may still find an inconsistency in the rh. We will see. 
Have I mentioned that it takes patients? There is no magical shortcut.... only trial and, error. If one aspect doesn't work you try another. Simple as that. Let's check it again in a couple days while we wait for the Boveda packs to arrive. After all, there's no rush when it comes to proper storage.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Alright. Through this thread you've seen what I have done to season a brand new 30-50 humidor. This was not some top of the line $500+ humi made with exotic hard woods but, instead a very much appreciated gift from brother @Yukoner that I have all intentions of using. By the way brother if I haven't told you a tenth time.... thank you very much and, I truly do appreciate the entire package you were kind enough to send. 
You may have noticed a theme if you didn't get tired of seeing this pop up to the top of the feed and, just scroll on. PATIENTS my friends! Believe it or not good things do come to those who wait.








I came home today to see a 66% on the hygro that I'm using which I know to be off by 1-2%. To say the least I'm tickled with this. Am I going to start throwing cigars in there.... nope! I'm going to wait it out for a couple days to see if it settles there. I can say at this point, which is 18 days in that I'm gaining confidence that the time taken to get this far will not be wasted. If you can season a humi in a week...... more power to you. I'm in no rush here..... I have patience. We'll check back in on it in a couple more days.


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

poppajon75 said:


> Alright. Through this thread you've seen what I have done to season a brand new 30-50 humidor. This was not some top of the line $500+ humi made with exotic hard woods but, instead a very much appreciated gift from brother @Yukoner that I have all intentions of using. By the way brother if I haven't told you a tenth time.... thank you very much and, I truly do appreciate the entire package you were kind enough to send.


No worries, what are Puffer's for afterall ? :grin2: And many props to you for putting this thread up ! Many n00bs getting into cigars for the first time will have these exact types of humidors, as your first humidor generally won't be a Waxing Moon or an Aristocrat or an Adorini. Given that, these types of threads that show proper sealing and seasoning of these Chinese wooden humidors are perfect. Usually if one has a really bad experience in a new hobby right off the bat, one will drop the hobby. Better to have a good experience, even with an el-cheapo humidor, and then move onto the nice cabinets..... In other words, enabling at its finest ! :grin2:


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

@poppajon75 awesome  knowing all worked out. Patience being the key. Any brothers here on PUFF with any questions about properly seasoning a humi need look no further.

Great job....

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Thanks guys. I'm by no means an authority on seasoning a humi but, I read from others experiences and listened to advice being given to those asking about the subject. It's just the way I choose to do it. I must admit that I'm still apprehensive about the RH Shield brand beads but, that's what Bovedas are for. If the beads end up being solid then I'm sure I could find something to put them in


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

poppajon75 said:


> Thanks guys. I'm by no means an authority on seasoning a humi but, I read from others experiences and listened to advice being given to those asking about the subject. It's just the way I choose to do it. I must admit that I'm still apprehensive about the RH Shield brand beads but, that's what Bovedas are for. If the beads end up being solid then I'm sure I could find something to put them in


My humble opinion says you got a good batch of those beads. At no time in my experience with the tube i acquired did i get a 66% reading. Even with the 1-2% off your hygro might be,it's still better than the constant 70% i was showing. So I'm sticking with the opinion that those are A.O.K... Although i have been wrong a few times...

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

So here we are on day 19.








The hygrometer that I started this seasoning process (small round) which had now been reading between 64-66% for more than several days. This is exactly what I was looking for, a consistent reading at my target rh. A +/- 1% is more than acceptable for me as I'm not intending to do any long term aging with this humi. That's another subject and one that I'm not qualified to lend advice on. 
The reason I wanted to do this thread is to basically show new enthusiasts that if you choose to start and, maintain a wooden humidor that there's no shortcuts. As I've stated throughout this thread, this is one way to season a humidor and, by no means the only or, most efficient. This is simply the way I choose to do so at very little cost. I hope that this helps someone out along their way. There's a ton of info out there about how to season but, I'd be leary of any promising guaranteed faster results.


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

Thanks again to @poppajon75 for doing the write-up ! A great step-by-step guide that any n00b can use when trying to figure out their first humidor.


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## Mounivong (Jan 1, 2017)

Quick question. I started seasoning a humidor on Fridday. It got up to 95% on Sunday. Checked it again and it's still 95%. My question is, is that right? Lol. I just feel like to got really high really fast. Should I wait longer to put in beads or would I be okay putting them in now for the next step. Hygrometer is calibrated and I did the same sponge technique.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Mounivong said:


> Quick question. I started seasoning a humidor on Fridday. It got up to 95% on Sunday. Checked it again and it's still 95%. My question is, is that right? Lol. I just feel like to got really high really fast. Should I wait longer to put in beads or would I be okay putting them in now for the next step. Hygrometer is calibrated and I did the same sponge technique.


Is your ambient rh relatively high? Sounds like it did go up really fast. Also what size is it? 
Going off the info you provided it sounds like it would be good to go but, the thing about moving fast to get the beads in there is that you want to make sure the wood has absorbed enough of the distilled water that it won't suck the beads dry. It's got to permeate enough of the wood to hold a steady rh once the sponges are removed. It can possibly take days for the rh to settle back down to your desired rh as well. If it drops quickly I'd be concerned about a seal issue.


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## Mounivong (Jan 1, 2017)

Ambient rh isn't that high. Unusually sits in the 40-70 range. And it's just a little guy. A 50 count


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Mounivong said:


> Ambient rh isn't that high. Unusually sits in the 40-70 range. And it's just a little guy. A 50 count


I'm by no means an expert but, if it's held a constant 95% for over three days I'd venture to say that you could put the beads in and, remove the sponges. Just wait a couple days to check back on it. If the rh is dropping slowly I'd think you're on your way.


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## Mounivong (Jan 1, 2017)

I'll give it a try! Thanks for the advice!


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## Mark in wi (Apr 22, 2018)

poppajon75 said:


> So here we are on day 19.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


First, thanks for the thread. It was linked to me by @Verdict when he read I ordered a new humi for a noob gift. It's been very helpful and seeing the need to be patient and has been reassuring as I wait for the RH to finialy level off.

Second, how is the humi you spent all this time on holding up?

Mark


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Mark in wi said:


> First, thanks for the thread. It was linked to me by @Verdict when he read I ordered a new humi for a noob gift. It's been very helpful and seeing the need to be patient and has been reassuring as I wait for the RH to finialy level off.
> 
> Second, how is the humi you spent all this time on holding up?
> 
> Mark


Glad you found it helpful. Since then I've designated the humi for pipe accessory storage. It held great for around 6 months then wouldn't hold rh steady enough for my comfort. I've started using more tuppers since. I did re season my 125-150 Thompson which has been going for 2 years now using the same method. The Bovedas have gone 8 months since, and aren't ready to be recharged yet. The day I bought that one, I should have played the lotto too. I hope the humi you're working on gives you a solid, long life as well.

Sent from the PUFF cigar lounge.


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## ras_oscar (Aug 30, 2015)

A couple things to keep in mind as you work through the process:


1. your humistat measures the RH of the AIR, not the box contents. When you open the lid, you exchange the air in the box with the air in the room, which may be higher or lower than the target RH. When I was a newbie I would check the RH of my box daily because I was excited. If you feel the need to check regularly, consider investing in a wireless humidistat. I purchased Ambient WS10. The batteries last about a year. The received sits on my night stand, and the humidors are 1 story and 2 stories below, respectively. I check twice a day. When I get up in the morning and when I go to bed in the evening. 


2. The cigars are a humidity storage medium. A box that's 3/4 full will hold humidity better than one that is nearly empty. Except the humidity to rise or fall a bit when you load the box. Don't be alarmed, leave it alone for a few days or a week before adjusting anything. 


3. Typically inexpensive humidors have a thin veneer of Spanish cedar over particle board. If your box won't hold humidity, try adding a layer of Spanish cedar friction fitted to the floor of the box.


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